B4VK IntroDoc

Helping Vulnerable Children In Victoria, One Backpack at a Time.

A B4VK INTRODUCTION

Be part of bringing some joy to displaced children who cannot return to their home to get some of their familiar belongings.

You can make a real difference!

For some people it looks like just a backpack with some items in it, but for those children who receive it, like Jen*, it’s everything that they have in the world and sometimes it becomes their world.

- Sally Beard, Founder & CEO, Backpacks 4 VIC Kids

*Image and name changed to protect client privacy.

Contents Who We Are Our Vision & Mission Founder & CEO What We Provide Baby Care Bag Boys Size 12 - ME Pack School Essentials Pack Christmas 4 Kids in Care Foster Feet Fitting Right In Our Beneficiaries Our Impact Looking Forward How You Can Help

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B4VK Introduction | Helping Vulnerable Children In Victoria, One Backpack at a Time | 3

Who We Are

Providing backpacks to vulnerable children with essential items for over six years Founded in Victoria in 2014, Backpacks 4 Vic Kids is a registered not-for-profit charity with GDR status.

We provide quality-filled backpacks and gift packs for vulnerable children, from birth to seventeen years of age, who are entering out-of-home care or emergency accommodation in Victoria and Tasmania.

Often children are placed quickly into foster care, or secure facilities without much more than what they are wearing at the time of displacement.

These children have an immediate need for: • Appropriate clothing • Underwear • Pyjamas • Toiletries • Something to cuddle • A bag or case to carry their belongings Younger children also need: • Clean nappies • A bottle • Milk Formula Funding for children in these situations is assessed and allocated on an individual basis. This means that the process can take days, weeks or even months, leaving carers responsible for the immediate needs of these children who may find it difficult to cover the cost of these essential items.

That’s where Backpacks 4 Vic Kids comes in… …Our backpacks provide displaced children with essential items, as listed above, to ease anxiety and grief during first 24-48 hours of displacement.

These items often bring them comfort in an incredibly stressful and frightening time.

When children have these essential items including their own blanket and soft, cuddly toy, they are easier to settle, feel more secure and, most importantly, they know that there are people who care about them and value their wellbeing.

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Did you know?

• There are 45,000 Australian children in out of home care, which includes Foster Care, Kinship Care, Permanent Care, Emergency/Short Term Care, Residential Care and respite.

• On any one night, over 11,000 children in Victoria are unable to live with their biological parent.

• The number of children in care is growing by 11% every year and by 24% for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

• At this rate of growth, almost 26,000 children in Victoria will be in care by 2026.

• 1 in 33 children across Australia are in need of child protection services.

• A child in care costs 50% more to raise than a child with their biological parent.

• The preferred approach is to keep children within the family environment. However, this is often not a viable option. When children have to be removed from their family home, the focus is on “providing children with safety, stability and a sense of security.

Source: aihw.gov.au/reports/child-protection/child-protection-australia-2018-19/contents/summary, aihw.gov.au/reports/childprotection/child-protection-australia-children-in-the-child-protection-system/contents/children-in-out-of-home-care, berrystreet.org.au/sites/default/files/SVA%20Summary%20Early%20Intervention%20November%202019.pdf, dss.gov.au/ourresponsibilities/families-and-children/publications-articles/protecting-children-is-everyones-business

B4VK Introduction | Helping Vulnerable Children In Victoria, One Backpack at a Time | 5

Our Vision

• All displaced children will have the resources they need, bringing them comfort in their first 24 – 48 hours of displacement and beyond.

Our Mission

• To provide material aid to displaced children and teens - backpacks filled with essential items to help them feel more comfortable during their relocation process.

• To re-use, recycle and repurpose quality goods.

• To support carers and social workers by providing quality packs and other material aid to children entering out of home care.

• To partner with community organisations, working together to bring some comfort and joy to these vulnerable children at a very difficult time in their lives.

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Founder & CEO, Sally Beard

• Following her firm belief that “if you know help is needed, and you can help, then you do”, Sally gathered seven friends and family together to form a governance committee who established Backpacks 4 VIC Kids (B4VK).

• Sally wants children to feel better, to have what they need, to feel clean and comfortable and know that they are valued, and that someone cares for them.

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What We Provide

Some examples of ME (My Essential) Backpacks that you can help us provide

Baby Care Bag • Nappy Bag contents are carefully selected for the size and approximate age of the recipient.

• Not having to rush to the all-night supermarket is a blessing to carers who need to concentrate on making a baby feel safe through transition and relocation.

• Backpacks contain donated items, new and second-hand as well as lovingly hand-crafted items and items we purchase when necessary.

ME Pack Each backpack includes size and age appropriate items, such as toiletries, clothing, sleepwear, a flashlight, blanket, stationery case and a toy or activity that will belong to the child. All items for ME Packs are carefully sorted, picked, quality checked and packed by volunteers at B4VK Warehouse in Cranbourne West.

Cost of producing and delivering a My Essentials Pack to us = $50, saving a carer anywhere from $200-$300.

Boys Size 12 - ME Pack • Many of the material needs of these boys are met with this backpack. Containing a blanket, a soft toy and a torch that they can keep by their side as they fall asleep in a strange house.

• As some children spend time in Police Station cells, or a motel awaiting word from an agency that a suitable carer has been located and is ready to take them in, the backpack also contains two outfits of clean, warm clothing, new underwear, sleepwear and a jumper or jacket that will help to make them more comfortable.

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Example of School Essential pack, that you can help us provide

School Essentials Pack • In response to a request from the Foster Care Association of Victoria, and kinship carers Australia wide, B4VK are proud to be launching our School Essentials Packs program in 2021.

• Basic school supplies are essential to ensuring engagement in education, and a feeling of equality.

• This little bit of support can make a world of difference.

School Essentials Each backpack includes essentials such as a lunchbox and drink bottle, pencil case, essential stationery, highlighters, coloured pencils, exercise books, notepads and more.

All items for School Essentials Pack are carefully sorted, picked, quality checked

and packed by volunteers at B4VK Warehouse in Cranbourne West.

Cost of producing and delivering a School Essentials Pack to us = $50, saving a carer anywhere from $200-$300.

What Else Do We Do?

Christmas 4 Kids in Care What we do to help at Christmas • B4VK collects and stores suitable toy and book donations throughout the year, organizes Santa sack sewing drives, assembles filled sacks and distributes the final products to children in out of home care, emergency accommodation and refuges.

• We supply each registered child with an age and gender appropriate book, soft toy and educational or activity-based toys, bundled into handmade Santa sacks. All gifts are new, supplied for free and distributed Victoria and Tasmania wide.

Foster Feet Fitting Right In • B4VK stores and distributes new school shoes and provides a facility for carers to bring children in for fitting.

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Our Beneficiaries Who we can continue to help with your support:

• Displaced children in Victoria and Tasmania, from birth to 17 years.

• Any child can become a child displaced.

Workers in the social services sector and carers request our ME Packs and hand those to displaced children on our behalf.

Workers in the sector (including Police, Child Protection Officers, Case Managers, Facility Managers, children and family service workers) prefer ME Packs because they are easy to request, store and utilise.

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Our Impact

9,000+ My Essential Packs Supplied to Kids

How we have helped over the past years with the help of others, like you: • We have supplied My Essential Packs to over 9,000 children through 80+ agencies to date.

• We have distributed over $2,000,000 in material aid across metropolitan, regional Victoria and Tasmania • In the past year, our volunteers packed and delivered 2,035 ME Packs in addition to support provided through our other programs.

• Although we have achieved so much thus far, there is so much more to do, so many more children we can help – with your support.

$2M

In Marterial Aid across Victoria & Tasmania

2,035

Extra ME Packs packed

by Volunteers

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Looking Forward

From 2020 – 2021, we aim to increase accessibility to our ME Packs by: • Establishing two more Distribution Centres in Bendigo and Bairnsdale.

• Opening our East Gippsland Distribution Centre (EVICDC), which is happening soon.

• We have a lovely space at a private residence which has been cleared and made ready for B4VK to set up. Our goal is to place 3 bays of shelving and 2 of each of our ME Packs onsite, restocking as required. We’re in contact with the local shire trying to access funds to purchase the shelving, and the funds needed to complete the initial stock of 78 ME Packs, ranging from size 0000 up to children’s size 18. These ME Packs will be readily accessible by the workers who provide support services to children in the area,and can therefore be given to the children within 24 hours of displacement, long before any assessment, allocation of funds, or decision about where they’ll stay has been made.

• Refurbishing and placing at least six “Tiny Sites” around Victoria for workers to access 24/7.

• Increasing distribution to 4,000 ME Packs.

In order to do this, we must raise a minimum of $220,000.

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How You Can Help Make An Impact

We keep our overheads as low as possible (we have just the equivalent to 2.7 FT employees). We are run by volunteers, rely heavily on our incredible volunteer operations team (Our champions, of which we currently have 75) which means that more of your dollar goes directly to providing ME Packs for vulnerable children.

We are seeking your support in any of the following ways.

• Sponsorship and Partnership opportunities: www.backpacks4vickids.org.au/contact • Make a donation today: www.backpacks4vickids.org.au/donate • Become a monthly donor today: www.backpacks4vickids.org.au/donate • Monthly donations are a safe and easy way to donate, providing immediate funding to children in need and are a steady and reliable source of funding. (I would find a name for your monthly donor group so that they feel like they are part of something special. Happy to brainstorm this with you) • Workplace giving. Match your employers giving and double the impact!

• Fundraise for us: www.backpacks4vickids.org.au

• Volunteer for us: www.backpacks4vickids.org.au/copyof-goods-prototype • Sponsor a ME Pack: www.backpacks4vickids.org.au

• Gifts in Will: please contact us for more information • Connect with us and spread the word: www.facebook.com/Backpacks4VICKids or LinkedIn

• Stay connected throughout the year and take part in our fundraising events. B4VK Key Events Include: • Kinship and Foster Care Fortnight: www.mycause.com.au/page/235039/b4vkapppeal • Christmas 4 Kids in Care Gift Appeal: www.backpacks4vickids.org.au/christmas-4-kidsin-care • Annual Giving Day: www.backpacks4vickids.org.au/events

Please note that all donations are tax-deductible. We welcome your partnership with Backpack 4 Vic Kids and thank you in advance for your support. Let’s help vulnerable children in Victoria, one backpack at a time, together.

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Contact Details Sally Beard

Founder & CEO M: 0412 205 943 E: Sally.Beard@B4VK.org.au

Alla Andrews

Partnerships & Major Gifts Coordinator M: 0409 742 959 E: Alla.Andrews@B4VK.org.au